Respirator



1941; T. J. SHOOLMAN 2,227,847

RESFIRATOR Filed Sept. 24, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N V E NT 0 R mega/are fbaa/mq Jan. 7, 1941- T. J. SHOOLMAN RESPIRATOR Filed Sept. 24, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Tfieadarc I slice/Inez; BY

Jan. 7, 1941. T, J SHOOLMAN 2,227,847

RESP IRATOR Filed Sept. 24, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Jan. 7, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF ICE RESPIRATOB Theodore J. Shoolman, Broolrline, Mass.

Application September 24, 1937, Serial No. 165,557

4 Claims. (01. 128-29) The present invention relates to a respirator of the type which may be used in medical science for aiding in breathing artificially, as for instance in cases where respiratory muscles have been paralyzed by sickness, such as infantile paralysis or in any other cases as for instance, shocks, drown ing, suffocation or the like.

Devices. of this nature are well known in the art and are of two general types, those in which the body of the patient, except the head, is placed in the respirator, and those in which a smaller part of the body is enclosed in the device. The machine used for enclosing only the upper part of the human body has a number of advantages over the machine in which practically the whole body is placed. It not only allows a certain amount of freedom of the arms and legs, but it also is possible to construct a much lighter device and one which can more easily be handled on a bed or table without great difliculty. The chief difficulty with the devices enclosing only a portion of the body is that a small volume of air is contained in the respirator itself and therefore greater care must be exercised to prevent air leaks from the respirator itself. These air leaks occur not only around the abdomen, arms and neck of thepatient, but also around the joints between the parts of the respirator itself. Various methods have been attempted to construct a so called half-size respirator that will provide a device that will hold its air pressure suficiently during the breathing in and breathing out process, but these for the most part have not been particularly successful.

In the present invention various parts of the respirator are so constructed that they easily fit together in joints which will prevent air leakage. In addition to this the seals at the patients body are so made that very little leakage will take place. Further than this the present device is constructed so that it can easily be made from practically plain material such as sheet aluminum or the like without a great deal of forming necessary by special dies. The usual apparatus for raising and lowering the pressure in the respirator may be employed and this in itself forms no part' of the present invention.

Further advantages and merits of the present invention will be better understood from the description given below when taken in connection with the drawings showing an embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the respirator as applied to a patient.

Figure 2 shows a side view of the respirator as seen from the side of Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the respirator in perspective indicating the top and bottom portions.

Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 'of Figure 1.

Figure 5 shows an end view of the respirator looking at the same from the abdomen end.

Figure 6 indicates a section on the line B--6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 shows an alternative construction of the end view corresponding to Figure 5, and,

Figure 8 shows a section through Figure 7 on the line 8-8.

Figure 9 shows a detail of construction illustrating the method of sealing the parts of the respirator.

Figure 10 shows a detail of the air cushion shown in Figure 5. I

Figure 11 is a detailed modification of the end section or the respirator.

Figure 12 shows a further detail of Figure 11 'Figure 13 is a modification of the arm plates of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 14 indicates a further modification of the disc by which the sponge rubberarm pieces are attached to the respirator, and, v

Figure 15 shows a detail of a removable end extension shown in Figure 2.

In the drawings the respirator is shown as constructed of two main portions, a lower portion 1 and an upper portion 2. The lower portion l is formed of a base element 3 and a floor .4. The base element 3 as indicated in Figure 4 has a C section 5 providing a hollow space in the base which may be used for a set of drawers. The base member 4 is of course sealed to the apron or supporting member 3, either by welding or any other suitable process. Formed with the floor or base 4 are the side walls of the base 6 and I and the end wall 8, the side walls 6 and I being thewalls where the patients arms come through the device and the end wall 8 where the neck of the patient comes through the device. At the inner side of 'these walls are provided chambers 9 and Ill communicating with the air or exhaust sources I l and I2. These chambers spread out or diffuse the air entering or leaving the chamber, thus avoiding the creation of an air draft. The back wall 8 as indicated in Figure 3 is practically cut away and replaced by the abdominal sealing wall I3, which will be more fully described later.

This wall I3 is attached to the inwardly extending flanges l4-l 4 extending inwardly respectively from the side walls 6 and I. The wall construction at the joint of the upper and lower elements f the respirator is indicated in section in Figure 9. Formed on the inside of the lower walls 6, 1, and 8 is an elongated channel element I5 which may be welded to the walls just below the top edge as indicated in Figure 9. This channel I5 is filled with a rubber strip l6 which extends well beyond the top of the channel and laps over the inner edge of the channel as indicated at I 6' while it extends above the edge of the wall 6 on the other side. The upper shell 2 of the casing is provided with inwardly and downwardly extending tongue I! which has its end positioned to lie in the center of the channel l5 when the walls 2 and 6 are aligned with one another. The wall 2 extends downwardly from the place where the tongue I! is fastened so that the rubber sealing element I6 is forced upward between the tongue I! and the wall 2 as the wall 2 comes down into line with the edge of the wall 6. A seal is thereby eifected not only between the two outer walls 6 and 2 by means of the rubber laying against the inner surface, but mainly of course by means of the edge of the tongue I I pressing downward into the rubber sealing element "5. The end of the tongue I! is sealed to the wall 2 at the arm, neck and abdomen opening and so also the channel IS.

The top half of the respirator comprises the side pieces In and the top plate l9 carrying the indicating and regulating valves 20, 2| and 22 which may be of the usual type used in respirators of the present description. The pieces I8 and [9 may be pressed from sheet stock by proper presses and dies and joined along the edges 23, 23 in any suitable fashion. The top half is provided with suitable openings 24, 25, the opening 24 corresponding with the opening 24' in the lower half of the respirator and constructed to allow the neck of the patient to go through it. The openings 25' correspond to the openings 25 to allow the arms of the patient to be extended from the respirator.

At the back portion of the respirator on each half I and 2 there are provided casings and 3| in the form of C or U shaped channels which are filled with walls or plates 32 and 33 forming the opening through which the abdomen portion of the patient extends. These elements 32 and 33 are preferably of sponge rubber or some elastic material which yields to the body movement and still provides an air seal to prevent air from leaking into or out of the respirator. The upper portion 33 is arched as indicated by the end view in Figure 5 with a low arch however so that the patients body forms itself into the sponge rubber, the lower edge of the portion 33 being cut as indicated at 34 with an outwardly curved portion adapted to engage in the correspondingly concave member of the lower portion as will presently be explained. The lower half 32 is also preferably of sponge rubber and is formed with two spiralling ends 36 and 31, the end 31 being tapered to form a band or strap as indicated at 39. The end 36 is made inwardly concave so that the top element 31 and the strap 39 Will rest in it and further so that the concave portion of thetop part will form a closed seal over the bottom half of the closure. The strap 39 may preferably be brought out to tie at the side eyelets 4|], so that when the patient is first put into the respirator, the strap 39 can be clamped down in place. On the upper sponge rubber elements 33 there may be fastened an arced piece 9| through which a cord 92 may pass. This cord 92 will hang downward and may be used to tie the piece 33 to the lower half of the casing by tying the cord 92 around the hooks 93 projecting from the lower half of the casing. After these two ends are properly adjusted the upper section having the piece 33 is clamped down to make a complete seal around the patients body. It will of course be understood that various size elements can be used in the end channels 30 and 3| and for this reason the. rubber elements 32 and 33 are removable from the channels and the correct sizes for the particular patient for which the respirator is to be used may be inserted.

In the view shown in Figures 11 and 12 the end portions 32 and 33 may either occupy the entire space in the channels 30 and 3| or they may be put in special casings as indicated at 3| to fill only a portion of the channel. To fill up the rest of the space, a second channel 32' may be used which may be sprung out at its edges so as to hold the channel 3| in place. In this way the sponge rubber elements 32 and 33 may offset the space of the channel 32 thereby allowing the rubber to be positioned further down on the patients body,

Within the respirator there is provided a mattress 50 made of some suitable material as shown in Figure 1. Below this cushion there is an air cushion which has three separate chambers 5|, 52 and 53 which may be inflated from the valve connections 54, 54, 54. These are preferably brought out through the openings 55 at the base 3 of the lower portion I of the respirator. These chambers may be separately inflated so that the proper adjustment against the patients body may be obtained and this of course may be done after the patient has been placed in the respirator.

When the patient has ben placed in the respirator, the two halves are brought together and clamped in any suitable fashion as indicated by the clamps 56, 56, 56. The clamping will bring together the two edges 2 and 6 as indicated in Figure 9 and cause the tongue I! to bury itself in the rubber piece 16 forming an air-tight seal about the sides of the respirator. The arm and neck elements may be closed as indicated in Figures l and 2. In this case the rubber gasket 60 of sponge rubber or similar material is placed snugly around the arm and a fiat plate 6| is placed over it. The plate 6| is put in position by first putting the edge of the plate into engagement with the proper tooth on the ratchet rod 90 and then bringing the top part of the plate to the side of the respirator after which the screw clamp 62 is tightened to tighten the plate to the side of the respirator. This plate seals the rubber against the side of the casing and may be sulficiently wide to exert a pressure against the arms of the patient to make a perfect seal.

The neck portion is held in the same way by means of the plate 64 held by means 01 the clamping bolts 65 working in the grooves 66 of the plate 64. In'place of using the method of clamping the end piece as indicated in Figures 3, 5 and 6, the method indicated in Figures 7 and 8 may be employed. In this case a wide disc 10 of sponge rubber or similar material is laid flat against the end H of the respirator. A large metal disc 12 is used to clamp the rubber firmly against the end of the casing. This may be ac complished similarly as in Figures 1 and 2 by means of the clamp bolts 13 clamping the flanges extending from the disc 12.

If the respirator is not sufiiciently long, a section 14 may be added which may be bolted to the end of the respirator in any suitable manner that will make an air tight joint and then the sponge rubber disc for the patients abdomen may outward. In either case it is clamped to the' respirator by means of the clamping flange 95. This modification will allow the respirator to be used for various size patients.

In Figure 14 a modification is shown of a method oi clamping the rubber gasket to the respirator. The respirator wall itself may be corrugated as indicated at 98 and a corrugated disc or a disc with a single corrugation 99 may serve to fit in the corrugation portion 98. The disc 99 is held to the respirator in the same way as previously described and squeezes the rubber in such a manner as to prevent the end I00 from being pulled inward or outward in its clamped position.

In Figure 15 there is shown a detail oi! the end extension indicated in Figure 2. For this purpose beyond the section 30 there may be attached by any suitable means a hood element which is outwardly curved from the top of the respirator towards the bottom 8| providing eflectively at the bottom an extension element for the respirator so that the respirator may be longest at the base where the patient lies. The hood 80 entirely covers the end of the respirator and seals it completely ofl in this way forming a full size respirator for an infant or small child and thereby eliminating the necessity of applying a sealing element about the patients body.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. An artificial respirator adapted to encase the upper part oi the human body comprising top and I lower halves formed in separate sections providing open ends when said halves go together, means provided at the edges or said halves for sealing said halves of the respirator at the edges that come together each of said halves having at their abdominal end means forming a U shaped section, removable sponge rubber plates fitting into said end section and having an opening for the abdomen oi the patient and means for independently briging said plates in close contact with the patients body before clamping said halves of the respirator together and means for clamping the halves of the respirator together.

2. An artificial respirator of the type described adapted to encase the upper part of the human body comprising having two sections adapted to fit one another and means Providing a seal at the joining edge, said respirator having an opening at the abdomen end and means for sealing said opening, comprising means formed of sponge rubber having atop and bottom section said bottom section having flexible extensions with means for fastening the same around the patientsbody and said top section having means formed to fit over the bottom section and means for attaching the same to the respirator.

3. In an artificial respirator of the type described, an abdominal seal end having a pair of sponge rubber elements adapted to fit one in the other, one of said elements having free end straps adapted to be tightened about the patient and the other of said elements having means for tying the same to the respirator.

4. In an artificial respirator of thetype described having upper and lower sections and means for sealing said sections together an end sectional element forming an end opening and having two parts applied one to each half or the respirator said sectional element having a U shaped channel, means containing a sponge rubber plate having a form to flt the body of a patient and occupying less than the width of .the whole channel and a second element holding said sponge rubber element in the desired position in 

